


Better than Tennis Shoes

by longleggedgit



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-19
Updated: 2014-01-19
Packaged: 2018-01-09 06:35:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1142676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longleggedgit/pseuds/longleggedgit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akazawa is having a birthday party, and Kaneda is eager to give him his gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better than Tennis Shoes

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://strudy-exchange.livejournal.com/profile)[**strudy_exchange**](http://strudy-exchange.livejournal.com/) in 2007. Thanks to [](http://anjenue.livejournal.com/profile)[**anjenue**](http://anjenue.livejournal.com/) and [](http://crocoduck.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://crocoduck.livejournal.com/)**crocoduck** for betaing. ♥

By the time he starts dialing Kaneda's number into his cell phone, Akazawa is already exceptionally tired of talking to people. It was bad enough having to sit through half an hour of Yanagisawa recounting his latest pornography finds – for some reason, he seems to be under the impression that Akazawa actually _likes_ that kind of stuff – but Mizuki didn't even let him get a word in edgewise until he finished describing the new curtains in his bedroom. Next year, Akazawa needs to remember to send out invitations by letter.

Akazawa hears Kaneda's phone pick up and then there is a pause, for long enough that he wonders for a moment if the call was dropped.

"Hello?" he says sharply.

"Akazawa-buchou?" Kaneda sounds even more timid than usual on the phone, and Akazawa fights the urge to roll his eyes.

"Kaneda," he says in acknowledgment. "How's your summer going?"

"It's – it's going really well, thank you."

"Glad to hear it. So are you free next Saturday?"

Silence falls again. Akazawa pulls his phone away to frown at the display and then puts it back to his ear. "Kaneda? Are you there?"

"I'm here," Kaneda says quickly. "Sorry. Yeah, I'm free. But isn't Saturday your birthday?"

"Right," Akazawa says, in the voice he generally reserves for talking to very small children and Yanagisawa. "Which is why I'm calling to invite you to my _birthday party._ " Akazawa is the one to pause now, and he frowns again. "Hey, how did you know it was my birthday?"

"I'd love to come to your party," Kaneda says in a rush, apparently choosing to ignore Akazawa's question. What a weird kid.

"Great," Akazawa says, distracted. He's just noticed his fingernails are in dire need of a clipping. "It's going to be at the Holiday Inn Tobu, so bring swimming shorts and whatever you need to spend the night –"

A series of clatters sounds from the other end of the line, and Akazawa cringes and holds his phone away again. "What the hell, Kaneda, did you drop the phone?"

"Sorry," Kaneda says, a little out of breath. "Uh . . . it's at . . . a hotel?"

"My uncle works there, so it's free," Akazawa says. "We're all sharing a room, but if you'd rather not spend the night, you can just show up at six and leave when –"

"No, no, I can spend the night!" Akazawa hears what is probably the sound of Kaneda scrabbling for a pen and paper, and then Kaneda continues, "It starts at six, then?"

"Yeah." Akazawa reclines back on his bed and begins to chew one of his nails. Kaneda is silent for an uncomfortably long time, and Akazawa finally gets impatient and says, "So. I'll see you then?"

"Oh." Kaneda almost sounds surprised that Akazawa is still on the other line. "Right. Okay. See you then, Akazawa-buchou."

Akazawa shuts his phone and sits up, stretching briefly before going about the task of hunting down his Speedo. There's only a few days left until his party, after all. He needs to work on his tan.

~

"This place is huge, dane!"

Akazawa snorts at the sound of Yanagisawa's arrival and turns around, raising a hand in greeting. Only Kaneda is missing now, and Akazawa glances at the clock on the wall next to the pool, frowning slightly – it's expected of Yanagisawa to be this late, but Kaneda is usually pretty punctual, at least if tennis practice is anything to go by.

"Can't we go to the room yet?" Mizuki says with an air of great suffering. "I want to put my things away."

Seeing as Yuuta is the one being forced to carry Mizuki's two sizeable violet duffle bags, Akazawa can't see why Mizuki cares one way or the other, but he shrugs and looks at the clock again.

"I guess we can go up and change," he says reluctantly. Kaneda will just have to wait if he shows up before they get back. "Come on."

Akazawa leads the way, and as soon as he's slid the card key through the slot on the door Mizuki shoulders past him and into the room with Yuuta in his wake, looking apologetic. Atsushi follows with Yanagisawa close behind, and Nomura takes up the rear. Akazawa casts one more scowl down at the meeting area by the pool – still no Kaneda – before stepping inside himself and letting the door shut behind them with a click.

"This is really nice," Nomura begins, but he shuts his mouth when Mizuki lets out a sudden cry of outrage.

"There's only _one bed_ , Akazawa-kun," Mizuki says, turning up his nose disdainfully. "And the bathroom doesn't have a Jacuzzi tub."

"The sofa folds out," Akazawa says, fighting between amusement and annoyance. "And there are futons in the closet."

Amusement, Akazawa decides when Mizuki's face contorts in horror at the very mention of the word " _futon._ " He knew there was a reason he invited Mizuki along.

"I'm taking the bed, then." Mizuki gives Yuuta a look to indicate that his bags should be set down to make their claim on the bed, and Yuuta slumps his shoulders miserably.

"It's Akazawa's birthday, Mizuki-kun," Yuuta reminds him. "He should probably get it."

"Shouldn't there be two to a bed, anyway?" Atsushi chimes in, smiling. Yanagisawa and Mizuki both swivel their heads to stare at him in disbelief.

"I am _not_ sharing a bed with Akazawa," Mizuki says with a sniff. Yanagisawa just looks red-faced.

"Akazawa can pick who he wants to sleep with," Atsushi says, and Akazawa could swear he was wording it that way on purpose. Before he can formulate a response, Atsushi gives Yanagisawa a none-too-gentle slap on the ass and then bends down to rummage through his bag, pulling out a pair of trunks. "Shinya and I will take the sofa," he says matter-of-factly.

Akazawa is thankfully spared the task of coming up with a reply when his cell phone rings, although he has to stick a finger in his ear to drown out the noise of Yanagisawa and Mizuki's joint indignant squawking when he answers.

"Kaneda," Akazawa says, relieved to see the name on his display. "Are you lost?"

"No, I'm – I'm here. Sorry I'm late, I had to. . . ." Kaneda's voice is so quiet that Akazawa can barely make out the words, so he groans and steps out of the hotel room, leaning over the railing to look down at the pool. Kaneda is there, standing awkwardly with his phone in one hand and a large shopping bag in the other.

"Look up and to the right," Akazawa says, and he laughs and waves until Kaneda turns and timidly waves back. "I think everyone's about to come down to swim, but if you want –"

Akazawa cuts off when the door to the hotel room swings open and Atsushi bolts out of it in nothing but his trunks, dashing toward the elevators with a towel trailing after him.

"Give me back my towel, dane!" Yanagisawa follows in hot pursuit, after which Nomura stumbles out, situating a pair of goggles on his forehead, then Yuuta and Mizuki, who appear to be bickering about sunscreen.

"We're _inside_ , Mizuki-kun, I don't think you _need_ to put on sunscreen."

"Just be quiet and do my back, Yuuta-kun. It's your own fault for forgetting the parasol."

Akazawa coughs to cover up a laugh and then remembers Kaneda is still on the other end of the phone. "I'll be down in a minute," he says shortly, and he hangs up.

~

In fact, it takes longer than a minute just to locate his bag. His teammates somehow managed to make a mess of catastrophic proportions in the amount of time it took Akazawa to step outside and take Kaneda's call. Clothes are strewn in every direction across the floor, bags upturned with their contents spilling over, pillows tossed off the bed, and just when Akazawa spots his own bag in the corner underneath somebody's shorts, he stubs his toe on a purple hair dryer – _Two guesses who that belongs to_ , he thinks miserably – and has to sit down to check if he broke the nail before doing anything else. It looks fine, he grudgingly admits, but that doesn't stop him from kicking the hair dryer violently out of the way as he finally bends down to grab his bag.

Akazawa strips out of his t-shirt and shorts and tugs on his Speedo, just setting about the task of hunting down a towel when a soft knock sounds at the door. He opens it without a word and then returns to towel-hunting, getting down on all fours to check underneath the bed. A loud _thump_ startles him into looking up again, and he sees that Kaneda has dropped his shopping bag and is looking a little pale.

"You don't have to just stand in the doorway, you know," Akazawa says, reaching over to pick up the bag for him and setting it off to the side.

"S-sorry, I didn't –" Kaneda trails off and shuffles inside, jumping about a mile out of his skin when the door falls shut behind him. "Sorry," he says again.

"Why are you sorry?" Akazawa looks at him strangely and then gives a pleased "Aha," having located a towel that fell behind one of the chairs.

"I, uh. . . ." Kaneda shifts his feet and stares at the floor intently. "I could go outside until you're dressed."

Kaneda's face reddens and Akazawa laughs, slinging the towel over one shoulder and reaching behind to tie his hair up. "What do you mean? This is what I'm swimming in."

"Oh."

This seems to be the extent of Kaneda's desire to hold a conversation, so Akazawa just laughs again and moves toward the door. "I'm going to the pool," he says. "You can find your way down, right?"

"Wait!" Kaneda looks so earnest that Akazawa freezes with his hand on the doorknob, eyeing him curiously. "I mean," Kaneda amends quickly, "I was just wondering – did you already do presents?"

Akazawa's eyes widen in surprise. "Presents?" he repeats. He recalls suddenly that by the time he got ahold of Kaneda to invite him to the party, his patience with the telephone had already long since run out. "Oh, shit, I forgot to tell you – you didn't need to bring one." According to his mother, Akazawa is spoiled enough. He was absolutely forbidden to request any more gifts. "I'm sorry, Kaneda."

"No, it's fine!" Akazawa forgets his momentary guilt when Kaneda rushes over to grab the shopping bag and shoves it toward him. "I would have got you something anyway," he says, bowing his head slightly.

"O-okay," Akazawa stammers, entirely taken aback. "Thanks, Kaneda." He accepts the bag and really inspects it for the first time, noting that it's from one of the athletic stores a short ways from St. Rudolph. When he peeks in the top of the bag, he blinks at the sight of a shoebox. "Kaneda . . ." he says slowly.

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to wrap it." Kaneda fidgets and rubs his hands together. "It's just that it –"

"-Just came out today," Akazawa finishes for him, pulling out a pair of brand-new Pumas and sitting down on the edge of the bed in mute shock. "Kaneda," he says slowly, "I can't accept this."

Kaneda looks as if Akazawa has just told him he's off the tennis team. He swallows loudly and rubs the back of his neck. "They're in your size," he says, voice wavering. "If you want a different color, I could –"

"It's not the color, Kaneda," Akazawa says. In truth, everything about the tennis shoes is perfect, from size to color to shoelace length. They're the exact pair he's been dying to get his hands on since he saw the promotional ad in one of his tennis magazines, white with red accents and brown soles. His fingers itch to untie the laces and try them on. But – "They're too expensive." Akazawa frowns at Kaneda in mingled awe and concern. He knows everything about these shoes, including the fact that they cost more than 10,000 yen.

To Akazawa's surprise, Kaneda seems relieved that this is Akazawa's only protest. "It's okay," he says with a timid smile. "My parents own the store."

It's tempting to just give in and accept the gift without further protest, but Akazawa still isn't convinced. "I don't know, Kaneda."

"Please," Kaneda says, dropping a hesitant hand on Akazawa's shoulder. "I'd really like for you to have them."

Akazawa has no idea why Kaneda would insist on giving him something this unbelievably extravagant – it's not like they're best friends or anything. Hell, Akazawa isn't even all that _nice_ to Kaneda, especially when it comes to tennis practice, where Akazawa's temper is all too easily ignited. But the gesture seems genuine, and surely at this point it would be more rude _not_ to accept. . . .

"Thank you," Akazawa says, setting the shoes aside so he can stand up and pull Kaneda into a hug. The brief, one-armed, manly kind of hug. At least, it's meant to be brief and one-armed and manly, except the second Akazawa touches him Kaneda's breath catches and his forehead falls forward against Akazawa's shoulder and his hands come to rest on Akazawa's lower back, and that's just weird because Akazawa is mostly naked. Akazawa clears his throat and tries to step back, but Kaneda keeps holding on.

". . . Kaneda." Akazawa's skin feels funny and he tries to pull away again, but at the sound of his name Kaneda's hold tightens. " _Kaneda._ "

"Yeah?" Kaneda's breath is hot against Akazawa's neck, and it causes him to shiver before he gets sufficiently freaked out and pushes Kaneda roughly away. They stand a few feet apart, watching each other with similar expressions of shock before Akazawa breaks eye contact.

"I'm gonna head down," Akazawa says. Kaneda opens his mouth, but Akazawa hurries to continue before he can speak. "There's another key card on the bedside table. Just, uh, make sure the door shuts behind you."

Akazawa wraps his towel around his waist – definitely for the sake of modesty and not for any more . . . pressing reasons – and backs out the door without another word, heaving a shuddering sigh the minute he's alone. That was . . . actually, he has absolutely no idea what that was.

"Akazawa!"

He hears voices from the pool and bends over the railing to acknowledge them, fighting back the urge to flick Atsushi off when he shouts loud enough for anyone to hear, "What were you two doing in there, oiling each other up?"

"Shut up," he snaps instead, walking at a brisk pace toward the elevators. The sooner he gets to some cold water, the better.

~

Kaneda takes so long in joining them at the pool that Akazawa is starting to get worried – not about the kid's feelings or anything stupid like that, but maybe he tripped in the bathroom and hit his head on the toilet bowl and needs to go to the hospital or something – and just when he's steeling himself to climb out of the deep end and go looking for him, Nomura calls out cheerfully, "Hey, Kaneda!" and Akazawa hastily turns his head in the opposite direction.

"Yo," Kaneda says without much enthusiasm. Akazawa chances a quick glance out the corner of his eye and sees Kaneda in a pair of green trunks, folding himself into a seated position on one of the beach chairs. Unfortunately, he's chosen the beach chair next to Mizuki.

"Kaneda-kun," Mizuki says, looking down at him over the rim of his sunglasses. "Nice of you to join us."

"A-ah," Kaneda chokes out.

"And what was keeping you? Nothing inappropriate, I hope?"

Kaneda makes a strangled noise and goes white, and Akazawa finds himself for once very grateful that Yanagisawa can be so relied on to cause a disruption right when it's needed most.

"Oi, Buchou!" Yanagisawa shouts, swimming over to the side of the pool and resting his chin in his hand. "Why aren't there any girls at your party, dane?"

Akazawa scoffs and is very careful not to lift his eyes when he can feel Kaneda watching him. "If you want girls, there's some in the hot tub," he says, jerking his thumb in that direction. "But I warn you, the real thing is different from porn."

Yanagisawa pretends to be affronted and everyone laughs, but Akazawa doesn't have to look up to know Kaneda remains silent. Or that he's probably wearing that same face he makes sometimes during practice when Akazawa really digs into him for something miniscule or makes fun of his skinny legs. Something in Akazawa's stomach twists uncomfortably, and he bites his lip. What the _hell_ is wrong with him?

"I'm sure you'd know all about the real thing, hm, Akazawa?" Atsushi swims up alongside him and smirks, and Akazawa wastes no time in dunking his smug face underwater.

"Who's hungry?" he says when he's sure Atsushi has been sufficiently silenced. "I can order pizza." An enthusiastic chorus sounds at the suggestion, and Akazawa climbs out of the pool and begins to towel off.

"My, those are some biceps, Akazawa-buchou," Atsushi chimes from behind him. Akazawa pauses to look over at Atushi, who is resting his arms on the side of the pool and his head on his arms, smiling creepily. Yanagisawa, he notes, is watching Atsushi just as closely.

"You're weird," Akazawa says, but apparently Atsushi isn't the only one.

"They are impressive," Mizuki agrees, chuckling as if there's something particularly amusing about the observation and twirling his hair around his finger. "Don't you think, Yuuta-kun?"

Akazawa doesn't miss the glare Mizuki shoots at Yuuta when he looks as if he's about to shake his head. Yuuta changes course and immediately, vigorously nods, and then Mizuki turns to his other side. "How about you, Kaneda-kun?"

Kaneda blinks, wide-eyed, a vibrant flush staining his cheeks. "What?" he says weakly.

"I said," Mizuki repeats patiently, "Don't you think Akazawa-buchou has nice biceps?"

"Stop it," Akazawa says sharply.

"And not just his biceps." Atsushi and Mizuki exchange glances, and then Atsushi's smile brightens and he keeps going. "What about that _tan._ "

" _Stop_ it," Akazawa warns. He can't help but notice that Kaneda has crossed his legs and is frowning down at the hands fisted in his lap.

"You guys are joking, right?" Yangisawa is looking from Atsushi to Mizuki in thinly veiled horror, then over to Nomura, who appears to be his only ally in outrage. "He uses _spray tan_ , dane!"

Atsushi and Mizuki laugh at once, and Akazawa stutters. "That's not true," he protests. "I only use it for the hard-to-reach places."

"Oh?" Mizuki gives a "nfu" and continues to twirl his hair. "Like where?"

"Maybe next time," Atsushi says, "Kaneda could help you out with that."

Kaneda's head jerks up and he looks as if he's about to speak, but Akazawa interrupts him. "Don't be disgusting," he snaps with a little more venom than he intended.

No one says anything, and after a heated silence that lasts for what feels like hours, Kaneda stands up, drapes his towel across his shoulders, and walks away.

"Hey – Kaneda!" Akazawa takes a step after him but Mizuki catches him by the wrist, shaking his head.

"That was uncalled for," he says with a sigh.

"I didn't mean –"

"Seriously, Akazawa, are you really that much of an ass?" Atsushi has climbed out of the pool himself now and is standing behind Akazawa with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "You didn't have to break the poor kid's heart publicly."

"Shut up," Akazawa growls. "This is all your fault in the first place."

Atsushi just lifts an eyebrow at him, and Akazawa hisses " _Dammit_ " and kicks the ground. "Fine," he says. "I'll go talk to him."

"Hey," Yanagisawa calls from the pool. Everyone looks in his direction. "Can you order the pizza first? I'm starving, dane." Nomura nods his vigorous agreement.

Akazawa rolls his eyes and points to the poolside mounted phone. "Order it yourselves. Just say it's for Akazawa."

Yanagisawa cheers and Akazawa gives him a dirty look before storming off after Kaneda.

"Akazawa-kun," Mizuki calls after him.

"What," Akazawa says, slowing down but not stopping.

"Don't come back until everything's settled."

Akazawa just grunts and keeps walking. He doesn't even want to know what Mizuki means by that.

~

"Kaneda?" Akazawa closes the door behind him and stands awkwardly in place, not seeing Kaneda anywhere. He hears the sound of running water and moves toward the bathroom, hesitating outside the door. "Kaneda?" he says again. The water turns off and Akazawa actually jumps back when the door is jerked open and Kaneda steps out.

"Look, I –" Akazawa begins.

"Shut up," Kaneda says, and Akazawa shuts up. Kaneda is still in his trunks, and his face is wet and blotchy and he looks _mad_. Akazawa has never seen him look so mad.

Kaneda takes a step forward, which proves to be troublesome when Akazawa realizes he has no room to go anywhere and his back hits the wall. He starts to lift a hand, but Kaneda grabs both his shoulders and pins them.

"I don't know if you're just an asshole, or if you're really that stupid," Kaneda says, fingers tightening on Akazawa's biceps, "but could you either tell me to get lost or give me the goddamned time of day already?"

Akazawa goes red – not just his face, but _everywhere_ , which is painfully apparent seeing as he's still mostly naked, and he gapes. "Kaneda," he says, cringing at the tremor in his voice. "I never meant to –"

"I don't care about before." Kaneda slides his hands from Akazawa's shoulders to his chest and presses his mouth to Akazawa's collarbone. Akazawa is startled by his own involuntary gasp and shudder. "Tell me what you want right now." Kaneda's voice is muffled, but the words are no less clear.

Answering him would be a whole lot easier, Akazawa thinks, if he _knew_ what the hell he wanted. Then again . . . if the increased snugness of his Speedo is anything to go by, maybe Akazawa is a little less clueless than he'd like to believe.

"Shit," he curses quietly. He slips his hands around Kaneda's waist without letting himself think about it, pulling him close even despite the rather embarrassing and prominent hardness that gets trapped between them. "I just –" Akazawa stops and swallows, tightening his grip involuntarily. "I'm really that stupid."

Akazawa doesn't know what he's expecting in response, but it's definitely not _violence._ He gives a little yelp when Kaneda grabs a handful of his hair and tugs his head back, sucking and dragging his tongue up the side of Akazawa's neck at the same time he jams his thigh hard against his crotch.

"Kaneda!" Akazawa digs his fingernails into Kaneda's back and then Kaneda's mouth is on his, Kaneda is forcing his lips apart and sucking on his tongue and biting down _hard_ , and Akazawa forgets to tell him to slow down and tries to bite back. This is either a really good move or a really bad one, because Kaneda groans into his mouth and grabs hold of his shoulders again, steering him away from the wall and walking him backwards – toward the bed, Akazawa realizes only when his calves bump the edge of it and his knees buckle.

"Fuck," Kaneda says, chest heaving. He looks down at Akazawa, who has propped himself up on his elbows with his legs spread somewhat ungracefully, and instead of climbing on the bed next to him or even straddling his lap, Kaneda drops to his knees on the floor.

Akazawa's eyes go wide for half a second, then fall immediately shut, because now Kaneda's got his thumbs hooked under the elastic of his Speedo and his mouth is biting a trail along Akazawa's inner thigh. "Kaneda . . ." Akazawa manages, although he has no idea what he's trying to warn him about. The lingering taste of chlorine, maybe, or the fact that everyone has their own personal card key and could come in at any moment, or –

"Jesus, you're big," Kaneda says breathily. Akazawa has no idea how the hell he's supposed reply to that so he doesn't try, just keeps his eyes tightly closed as he feels his Speedo being tugged down and off, his cock slapping against his stomach obscenely. Kaneda exhales against him and Akazawa sits up and slips a hand around the back of his neck, pretending not to be responsible for the desperate noises that escape his throat just before Kaneda's wet lips close around the head of his cock.

Akazawa's head falls back and he moans, trying his best not to thrust into Kaneda's mouth but doing it anyway. This doesn't seem to deter Kaneda – he simply grabs firm hold of Akazawa's hips and meets his thrusts, sucking hard and taking him in so deep his nose is practically buried in his pubes, and _Jesus_ , how the fuck is the kid so _good_ at this?

"Shit," Akazawa gasps, his voice so rough he hardly recognizes it. Kaneda hums briefly around his cock and it feels like a jolt of electricity shooting up Akazawa's spine. He pants and twists his hips and tightens his fingers in Kaneda's hair and the bedspread, and there is nothing, _nothing_ in Akazawa's life that even begins to compare to how hot and wet and perfect this feels. Every nerve in his body is hyper-sensitive, every flick of Kaneda's tongue or dip of his head sends a new wave of shudders through him. He wants to say something, to tell Kaneda to slow down and give him a minute because he's close and he wants this to last forever, but he remembers that at this point, Kaneda has been playing it slow for a long time.

"Don't –" Akazawa starts to say, and he thinks what he was going for was _Don't stop_ , but it's right then that he comes, thigh muscles clenching and toes curling and breath catching, and Kaneda – as soon as he's capable Akazawa opens his eyes halfway just to make sure – Kaneda fucking _swallows_.

His head is spinning and he's overwhelmed and dizzy and more exhausted than he's ever been, but Akazawa finds enough energy to bend over and grab Kaneda by the elbow, hoisting him up on the bed with a drowsy "C'mere." He starts to work on the drawstring to Kaneda's trunks with trembling fingers, but Kaneda stops him with a shake of the head, causing Akazawa to frown in confusion.

"Why not?" he says, and Kaneda blushes even as he distractedly licks a spot of come off his lips.

"I already . . ." Kaneda explains, trailing off and gesturing to his trunks. There is, Akazawa realizes, a considerable wet spot there, one that has nothing to do with the swimming pool.

It's too overwhelming to stop and really consider the fact that Kaneda came in his pants just from his enthusiasm for sucking Akazawa off, so he just nods and eases himself back on the bed, fighting his way under the covers.

"Um," Akazawa says, forcing himself not to follow with a _What next._ Kaneda has apparently lost some of his creepy-but-impressive sexual predator instincts and is back to looking a little shy and awkward, and maybe Akazawa isn't entirely sure what just happened or why, but one thing he is sure about is that he's not going to keep making Kaneda feel like shit. Also, the idea of this becoming a regular occurrence is definitely something he could get used to.

"Take them off, then," Akazawa says in what is typically his buchou-voice, "and get in here." He lifts up one edge of the bedspread with a weary smile.

Kaneda takes a second to smile back and then obeys with all the speed he generally exhibits on the tennis courts, stripping and sliding in the bed next to Akazawa in a matter of seconds. Akazawa isn't sure what to do but Kaneda takes care of things by pulling him close and pressing a kiss to his jaw, and Akazawa is surprised to note it makes him feel almost as warm and content as the blowjob.

"What if the others . . ." Kaneda hazards, weaving his fingers through Akazawa's hair and resting their foreheads together.

"They figured out they can order poolside service," Akazawa murmurs, already succumbing to his exhaustion. "They won't be back for a while."

Even if he's wrong, Akazawa figures, he could really care less. There is no one who could get him to relinquish this birthday present.

~

"It's been three hours already," Mizuki says irritably, swiping his card key and opening the door to the hotel room despite Yuuta's numerous protests. "I am _not_ using one of the public bathrooms."

He is about to go on listing the various ways in which public bathrooms are an insult to an individual's personal hygiene when Yuuta shushes him and lays a hand on his shoulder, pointing at the bed. Akazawa and Kaneda are sprawled across it in a tangle of legs and blankets, very clearly passed out and very clearly naked.

"Oh, how appalling," Mizuki says, flipping his hair away from his face. "Well, I certainly don't want the bed now."

"We can take the floor," Yuuta says with a smile. Mizuki gives a haughty but agreeable snort. Just then, the door opens once again and Nomura appears.

"I don't want to sit in the hot tub anymore," he announces loudly, glancing back over his shoulder. "You should have seen what Atsushi and Yanagisawa just did. In the _water._ "

Yuuta makes another shushing sound and Nomura at last notices the scene on the bed, eyes widening behind his goggles.

"I'm going back down," he says with a groan, and he immediately turns and walks out.

"Akazawa-kun had better thank us later," Mizuki says with a sniff. "This is a far superior gift to a pair of shoes."

"Come on," Yuuta says, rolling his eyes and taking Mizuki by the hand. "His birthday's not over until midnight."

_end_  



End file.
